Retrievable wireline lubricator and method of use

ABSTRACT

A lubricator for use in running well tools suspended from a wireline in wells where the wellhead and blowout preventers are submerged and connected to a floating vessel by a marine conductor pipe. The lubricator includes a stuffing box connected to a tubular member. The stuffing box is arranged on the wireline above the connection of the wireline and a well tool suspended therefrom to provide a pressure seal around the wireline and the tubular member surrounds the wireline. The stuffing box and tubular member are lowered on the wireline into a well until the tubular member is positioned adjacent to a blowout preventer. The blowout preventer is closed on the tubular member to prevent vertical movement of the lubricator and to effect a pressure seal around the tubular member. The well tool is then lowered into the well and wireline well work is carried out. Thereafter, the blowout preventer is opened and the lubricator is pulled to the floating vessel as the wireline and well tool attached thereto are retrieved.

United States Patent Primary Examiner-Marvin A. Champion AssistantExaminerlan A. Calvert Attorneys--Thomas B. McCulloch, Melvin F. Fincke,John S.

Schneider, Sylvester W. Brock, Jr., Kurt S Myers and Timothy L. BurgessABSTRACT: A lubricator for use in running well tools suspended from awireline in wells where the wellhead and blowout preventers aresubmerged and connected to a floating vessel by a marine conductor pipe.The lubricator includes a stuffing box connected to a tubular member.The stuffing box is arranged on the wireline above the connection of thewireline and a well too] suspended therefrom to provide a pressure sealaround the wireline and the tubular member surrounds the wireline. Thestuffing box and tubular member are lowered on the wireline into a welluntil the tubular member is positioned adjacent to a blowout preventer.The blowout preventer is closed on the tubular member to preventvertical movement of the lubricator and to effect a pressure seal aroundthe tubular member. The well tool is then lowered into the well andwireline well work is carried out. Thereafter, the' blowout preventer isopened and the lubricator is pulled to the floating vessel as thewireline and well tool attached thereto are retrieved.

H w l l Q m I liiil m I m ll W I u E Q M l iii.

m lllm E I INVENTORS. :l CARL E- lREISTLEJJI,

BY OS PH A. BURKH ARDT ATTORNEY.

cerium ABLE wlniausli w s ascitoitounp OFfIl-l E INVENTION it llELDoFTHE lNVENTlON i The preseht invention concerns a retrievable wirelirtelubricator for underwater pressure control in well'oper ations. Inconducting well operationsfromJa "floating vesseL-wellhead and blowoutpreventionequipmentare positioned on the sea floor. A marine conductorpipe or riser connects the vessel 'tosuch underwater equipment. Themarine conductor pipe is 1 not subjected to well pressures because ofits lengthand its dynamic response to sea conditions. Duringcompletionand workoveroperations it is necessary to run equipmentsuch asdiagnostic, logging, perforating and well control tools into a submergedwell. through the marine conductor pipe on wirelines. Inorder'to'operate safely with such wireline tools, a

stuffing box or packoff must be provided around the wireline above thewellheadin order to contain. well fluids urider pressure i a 1 SUMMARYQwms wm in accordance with tlie teachings the invention, the apparat usemployedin running equipment into 'wellson a I wireline where thewellheadand blowout preventersare submerged and connected oys floatingvessel by a marine conit..When recovering the retrievable lubricator,the wireline is raised until the upper end of the equipmentsuspendedfrom the wireline bumps the stuffing box.Theblowoutp'reventeris opened and."the wireline equipment and lubricatorare retrieved."

aiusrpesckieriouorrue nimw uo; ,FlG Sr lA -lb'arejschematic vi ews' illustrating theapparatus and operation oftheinventiort. t

oesckirr os or ,riiizjeaereiutep.eMaop MeuTs Referring tothedrawingfthere is shown a marinec ondu ctor 1 pipe orriser l installed onan underwaterblowout preventer (BOP) stack generally designated which inturn is installed on an underwater wellhead (not shown), Riser isconnected at its upper end to a floatingvesselinot shown) at the lwater's-surface. BOP stack 11 includes a stripper BOP 1 2, a

blank or shear ram BOP l3 and a dual pipe BOP 14 having upper andlower'pipe rams 14A and 148, respectively. An" upper choke-and-kill line15 provided with a valve 16 extends;

from'the vessel and connects to BOP stack 11 above BOP l4 and a lowerchoke and-kill line l7 provided with a valve 18 7 extends fromtheve'ssel andconnects to BOP stack 11 below BOP .As indicated in FIGJC;a pressure gauge 19 is installed in lowerchok eand-lrill line 17 on thevessel.

As seen in FIG. 1A, a well equipment component 25, shown as a toolstring, and which may bea diagnostic or logging or perforating or wellcontrol tool, suspended from the lower endofawireline 26 at rope socket29...Wireline 26 may be suitably a conductonflcable orpiano-typewireline. A stuffingbox 27 surrounds wireline 26 and is mounted onandaffixed to the upper end of a tubular member 28 which also surroundswireline 26. Blowout preventer l2 and 13 and upper pipe rams "14A of BOP14 are open. Lower BOP rams 14B are closed. Lubricator 28 is made up onwireline 26 above rope socket 29 on tool string25. In the closedposition of lower BOP rams tusiucsroit ANnMETnoo jacent upperBOP ramsl4B.

. As seen in FIG. 1B. wireline 148 tool string is,.but tubular member 28is not. capable of passing through BOP rams 14B. g 3

26 has been lowered through riser 10 until tool string 25 passes intoBOP Hand subs tan:

tiallythrough the opening in loweLBQP rants MB. The lower end of tubularmember ZB'bumpsbottom BOP rams [4B which positions the upper portion oftubular member ad- As illustrated in FIG. l C upper BOP rams ldAareclosed on'tubular member 28 to effect a pressure seal around tubularmember 28 and tosecure it and stuffing box 27 against vertical movement.Lower BOP rams 14B are then opened.

manner by opening underwater valve 18 on lower choke-and kill line 17 onwhich surface pressure gauge 19 is located. The

desired wireline operations are then conducted.

' As illustrated in FIG. 1D, when ready to remove wireline 28 and toolstring25 from .thewell after the wireline operations have beencarriedout, wireline 26 is pulled up until rope socket 29 bumps stuffingbox 27.: Upper BOP rants 14A are the stuffmgbox, the well-may be loadedout with a kill fluid pumped through lower choke-and killl line 17.

Tubular member 28, which may be a length of pipe. is

preferably of larger-diameter along its lower end (when arranged dnwireline 26), as shown. Such a tubular or cylindrical configuration isused with BOPtpipe rams such as the dual pipe BOP rams 14A and 14Bdescribed above. However, other configurations may be usedforthe-rnea'ns about which the BOP effects a pressure seal. Such meansmay be other-than roundin cross section, such as square; when astripperor in flatable-type BOP is used instead of BOP pipe rams. As usedherein, the term tubular inembef'means any configuration forsuch means,whether it be round, square or otherwise. While use of'thelubricatorwithdual pipe-rams-type BOP has been illustrated and described herein, asingle pipe ramtype BOPorastripper or inflatable-type BOP might be usedinstead. When operating with either of the latter type blowout preventer(and even with a dual pipe BOP), the lubricator would be simply loweredinto the BOP the lubricator would be simply lowered into the BOP andthen the BOP would be closed on the tubular member. 5

Advantages of the retrievable lubricator include eliminating the need topull the BOP stack and riser'each time a different size of wireline isrunduring completion or service operations and permitting the running offull bore tools (such as bits or packers) without makingtrips with theunderwater equipment to and from the vessel. 7

. We claim: I 1. Apparatus for use in running equipment suspended from awireline into a well comprising:

afloating vessel; 7 a submerged blowout preventer connected to the wella marine conductor pipe connected at oneend to said blowout preventerand at theotherend to said floating vessel; I V a tubular member, saidtubular member surrounding said wireline; and I r T a stuffing boxaffixed to said tubularmember and arranged on said wireline abovetheconnection of said wireline and said equipment suspended therefrom, saidstuffing box effecting a pressure seal around said wireline and said.

2. A method for use in running equipment suspended on a wireline into awell where the wellhead and blowout preventer are submerged andconnected to a floating vessel by a marine conductor pipe comprising thesteps of: a

arranging a lubricator on a said wireline, said lubricator including atubular member surrounding said wireline and a stuffing box connected tosaid tubular member for effecting a pressure seal around said wireline;

lowering said wireline and lubricator through said marine conductor pipeuntil said tubular member is positioned adjacent to said submergedblowout preventer;

closing said blowout preventer on said tubular member to effect apressure seal around said tubular member and prevent vertical movementof said lubricator; and

then lowering said equipment into said well on said wireline.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 in which said blowout preventercomprises upper and lower pipe rams, said upper pipe rams being open andsaid lower pipe rams being closed said stuffing box; then opening saidupper rams and pulling said wireline to said vessel through said marineconductor pipe.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 including installing a chokekill lineextending from said vessel to said well below said blowout preventer,said line being provided with a remotely operable valve and a pressuregauge; and then opening said valve after said upper rams are closed tomonitor pressure on said tubular member.

1. Apparatus for use in running equipment suspended from a wireline intoa well comprising: a floating vessel; a submerged blowout preventerconnected to the well a marine conductor pipe connected at one end tosaid blowout preventer and at the other end to said floating vessel; atubular member, said tubular member surrounding said wireline; and astuffing box affixed to said tubular member and arranged on saidwireline above the connection of said wireline and said equipmentsuspended therefrom, said stuffing box effecting a pressure seal aroundsaid wireline and said blowout preventer surrounding said tubular memberto effect a pressure seal around said tubular member and preventvertical movement of said tubular member.
 2. A method for use in runningequipment suspended on a wireline into a well where the wellhead andblowout preventer are submerged and connected to a floating vessel by amarine conductor pipe comprising the steps of: a arranging a lubricatoron a said wireline, said lubricator including a tubular membersurrounding said wireline and a stuffing box connected to said tubularmember for effecting a pressure seal around said wireline; lowering saidwireline and lubricator through said marine conductor pipe until saidtubular member is positioned adjacent to said submerged blowoutpreventer; closing said blowout preventer on said tubular member toeffect a pressure seal around said tubular member and prevent verticalmovement of said lubricator; and then lowering said equipment into saidwell on said wireline.
 3. A method as recited in claim 2 in which saidblowout preventer comprises upper and lower pipe rams, said upper piperams being open and said lower pipe rams being closed and wherein saidlowering steps includes lowering said equipment through said lower ramsuntil said tubular member engages said lower rams.
 4. A method asrecited in claim 3 including closing said upper rams on said tubularmember and opening said lower rams prior to lowering said equipment insaid well.
 5. A method as recited in claim 4 further including pullingsaid wireline up until the upper end of said equipment engages saidstuffing box; then opening said upper rams and pulling said wireline tosaid vessel through said marine conductor pipe.
 6. A method as recitedin claim 5 including installing a choke-kill line extending from saidvessel to said well below said blowout preventer, said line beingprovided with a remotely operable valve and a pressure gauge; and thenopening said valve after said upper rams are closed to monitor pressureon said tubular member.